Cabinets To Go is Growing the No Barriers Ripple Effect

The company is proudly providing scholarships to individuals and families in each of their home communities.

Another year of life-changing work is underway through a special partnership between No Barriers and Cabinets To Go, a company that has been helping people transform their homes’ interiors since 2008. Founded by No Barriers Board Member Tom Sullivan, Cabinets To Go started with just a single store in Miami, Florida, but has now expanded to over 60 stores nationwide.

In honor of its 62 locations, Cabinets To Go has generously provided scholarships to 62 people who live in communities served by their stores to be able to attend a No Barriers experience this year. A total of 20 youth have been given scholarships so far, including 15 teenagers who’ll attend a weeklong summer camp program at the No Barriers Mountain Campus in July. Cabinets To Go also supported 5 other teens on a recent expedition to Explore Nepal. The remaining 42 scholarships are being distributed among veterans with disabilities to attend a No Barriers Warriors expedition in Colorado throughout the summer and to applicants hoping to attend the No Barriers Summit in New York City in October.

“At Cabinets To Go, we can transform your house with a new kitchen or a new floor, but with every kitchen or floor our customers buy, we donate to No Barriers to help transform someone’s life,” explains Sullivan. “For anyone with something to overcome, No Barriers can really help, and when you see what their programs can do, it’s really amazing.”

Recognizing the importance of helping people learn to break through barriers, Cabinets To Go is proud to invest in programs that will guide participants to uncovering their full potential.

“When we started, we focused a lot on serving people with disabilities but then we realized pretty quickly that a lot of people in the world have invisible barriers; their barriers are more expansive than physical disability,” explains Erik Weihenmayer, No Barriers Co-founder.

Thanks to new and ongoing partnerships, No Barriers continues to expand its reach to serve kids in the foster care system, youth living in poverty, and young people who are struggling with the loss of a family member.

The Youth Camp sponsored by Cabinets To Go is another “first” for No Barriers—bringing together 15 teens from 12 different states to the No Barriers Mountain Campus, a pristine 144-acre mountain playground located near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Many of the teens have never been to a summer camp before or even traveled outside of their home state, so this will be their first time “rustic” camping in the mountains.

While at camp, the teens will enjoy a ropes course and zip line, be challenged by rock climbing, experience the thrill of whitewater rafting, share s’mores and stargaze around the campfire, and have fun while connecting with new friends. Most importantly, they’ll have a chance to examine the role of barriers in their own lives and gain valuable perspective and skills to address them.

Students who recently returned from the Explore Nepal Expedition also had a first-hand immersion into the No Barriers Life Elements, growing as individuals and gaining a new rope team of life-long support. One student, Faye, who was nervous about traveling for the first time without her parents, wrote:

“With just one traditional and surprisingly spicy Nepali dinner, I have a new No Barriers family and rope team. Talking about our daily lives and connections between each other, we have grown into a stronger community in a matter of a few meals. The group activities broke the awkward ice for us and allowed us to dive into deep conversations about ourselves and our barriers that we are facing. Most of us had the same barrier, which I’m sure reassured almost of us.”Faye, Expedition Explore Nepal

One of the Nepal students, Faye Bryans, met up with store manager James Schmidutz, and designer Matthew Charland in Sarasota a few weeks back. Faye plans to revisit the Sarasota store once she returns to tell them all about her adventure.

Along with youth, Cabinets To Go scholarships are also benefitting veterans who are trying to come back into the world after deployment. The No Barriers Warriors expeditions offer them a way to serve and lead again back in civilian life. And for those who will be accepted to the No Barriers Class of 2018 and attend the Summit in New York City, they’ll be joining leaders, change-makers and aspiring visionaries from all walks of life unite to discover how to bring the No Barriers Life to a world ready for greater possibilities.

Many people return from a No Barriers experience inspired to do more for their local communities or help others in the nation and the world, often starting other nonprofit organizations or helping to raise awareness for social issues.

As Erik explains, “That’s the kind of ripple effect that we’re hoping to create.” And thanks to Cabinets To Go, another 62 ripples will begin this year.